Puppet
by Idk wat my name is
Summary: Xellos is a master at keeping secrets- but there has been a secret that his master has kept from him for the last one thousand years. Now, Lina unknowingly gives him the chance to discover what has been hidden. Lina x Xellos, Xellos x Zelas, TRAD, ect.
1. Forbidden

_Yes, another story. I blame _When You Reach Me_ and _A wrinkle in Time_ for this, even though this story doesn't really have anything to do with that. I'm still going to be working on Almost Lina, don't worry. Or at least, I plan too._

_This story is Xellos centric, with sporadic updates instead of the scheduled ones, and even shorter chapters than my other Slayers fic. I wish to say that this idea is completely mine, but that isn't true. There was a picture on deviantart, along with a short summary of a Korean fanfic that inspired this. I started daydreaming about it, and over time, the idea turned into something different, and that's what I'm posting here. The title for this, Puppet, comes from the picture. I do not know where the picture is at this time, but when I find it, I'll post the link on my profile. Until then, enjoy._

_I do not own Slayers. I gain no profit from this, and I have no money to give anyone who wants to sue me. Sorry to disappoint._

* * *

It was a fascinating feeling, both thrilling and frightening, in knowing that he was disobeying orders. Nervous excitement crashed through him, so much so that even he could not hide it on the physical plane. His traveling companion knew something was up, but hadn't asked anything about it yet. That was good. Too much prodding, and he might just turn and run at the last moment. This was a once in a lifetime chance- even for a monster like himself. He could not afford to leave now, not if he wanted to know the truth.

Xellos the Priest would never admit that he was afraid, but the idea of facing Beastmaster Zelas' wrath when she found out what he was doing…. He pushed those thoughts back, and tried to focus on keeping his physical form from acting like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

_Well, Mistress _did _say that this mission is to be put above all else. And I say an order given a thousand years ago counts as 'all else'_.

A lesser monster passing through came a little too close via the astral plane, and Xellos lost control of his physical body once again. He jumped, and could not control the urge to look around guiltily. His traveling companion had had enough with him.

"Geez, Xel. You're acting as if the Hellmaster himself is after you."

At this, Xellos winced. "My apologies." He said, even though he really didn't need to. There was a pause between them, and then he asked, "Miss Lina, about this town we're going to…"

"Demisus." She answered automatically.

His astral body shuddered at the name, but he had managed to keep his physical body restrained. "Yes, that." He tried his hardest to act casual. "Have you ever been there before?"

His efforts paid off, she didn't suspect him at the moment. "Yeah, a couple times." She said.

His metaphorical heart leapt. "What's it like?" He pressed, perhaps more than he should have.

Now she _did_ suspect him. "Just like any other large town." She viewed him suspiciously. "Why? Haven't you been there before?"

His body hesitated. He mentally cursed his lack of control; guilt was doing funny things to him. "No," He admitted.

That surprised her, but it also put her suspicions to rest. The fact that there was actually someplace in this world where he hadn't been before, let alone a place in such a central location, was unexpected, but not really a need for concern. He knew she wouldn't ask anything more- as long as he could keep his physical form in check.

"They have good food there. They have some sort of sauce that they cook with their green beans and corn; it's absolutely delicious. And they have cakes too, you'll love them." Xellos listened as Lina delved into food-laced memories. He nodded his head, and asked questions when appropriate. It was a good distraction from what was coming.

Almost too soon, they saw buildings in the horizon. The bandit killer sped up, and the priest ran a few steps behind, trying his hardest to keep his legs from turning around and running away. The city they were running towards was known to all as Desmisus, but Xellos had another name for it.

Forbidden.


	2. Too late now

_Read the heading for Almost Lina ch 5 if you want to hear about my sucky day and how I lost all my works. I had to complettly rewrite this- it was not fun. At least I have the rough drafts for this story still. _

_I do not own Slayers. I gain no profit from this, and I have no money to give anyone who wants to sue me. Sorry to disappoint._

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* * *

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Xellos first saw the town of Desmisus a thousand years ago, right before the war of the Monster's fall.

Back then, you could barely even call it a village; it was a collection of houses surrounding a market place, if anything at all. It was many centuries later when the Desmisus that everyone now knew was founded. It was amazing that such a town could last so long, let alone get so prosperous.

He was young then, no older than most mortals, and he enjoyed tricking humans much more than most monsters find proper. The young priest would often sneak away to human settlements, and fool the people there into believing he was one of them. He always knew exactly what to say, always knew the right gesture and the right facial expression to get them to trust him completely. Even his superiors had to admit that he was a natural. His mistress- back then, he called her mother- was the only one who had never complimented him.

So when the young priest saw the people scurrying around and running errands in the marketplace of what would be Desmisus, he thought nothing of going down there and joining them. He was about to teleport, when she stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Xellos quickly turned his attention to the being behind him. Despite the size of their astral bodies, Demon Lords had the uncanny ability of being able to sneak up on you. "Just out to play, Mother." He said.

Displeasure radiated from her. There was a twitch in her astral body, a sign that he would later figure out meant that something he had said had upset her. Xellos shrank back- hers were the only negative emotions he could not stand.

She stared down at the village below. "Go play somewhere else." She told him, before making to leave.

He hesitated. "Why?" Back then, he asked 'why' just as much as he said 'that's a secret'.

She stopped. "I do not want you to play in that village." He was about to ask another question, when she cut him off. "That's an order, Xellos."

Now he was truly confused. Back then, his mother only ever gave him orders when things were of utmost importance. He saw no reason behind this. "Alright." He said unsurely, "But, Mother, I do not understand-"

Her displeasure turned into pure rage. Xellos gasped, and tried to hide himself in a corner of the astral plane as he felt the blunt of her fury. "You are never to go there!" Her voice boomed across the astral plane, "Under no circumstances! And do not…" Her voice became a hiss, "ever, call me mother again."

It was the first and last time he had ever seen her so angry.

He never called her mother, or asked her why, ever again.

Throughout the millennia later, Desmisus became more of an enigma to him. As far as he could tell, he was the only monster ever ordered to stay away. Whenever an issue came up around the area, his mistress would always send someone else to the task, someone who was incompetent and could not do it as well as him. One day, he asked one of these incompetents what the town was like.

"There's nothing special about it." The lesser demon said. "Just a bunch of humans living together. Nothing special." Then the wise lesser demon ran as fast as he could away from the irate priest.

His mistress also was the cause of some confusion for him. Xellos knew that she was the most whimsical of the Demon Lords, but he also knew that the outburst above the forbidden village was entirely out of her character. Any mentions of the name 'Desmisus' was met with anger, and he quickly learned to never say it in her presence.

Had he been forbidden from any other place, he would have dropped the issue in an instant. But Desmisus was different.

He was drawn to it. It took a while to notice, but he soon realized that he _wanted_ to go there, much more than he wanted to go anywhere before. He did not know what made the town so alluring; his desire for it was irrational and pointless.

And considering that he was now risking himself by going there, also dangerous.

But then again, he's been risking himself a lot lately.

Too late now.


	3. The Bandit Killer and the Priest

_Oh my golly, I absolutely adore this chapter. I'm very proud with how this turned out, even if it ended up twice as long as I wanted- but there is no way I was going to cut this chapter in half._

_There is Xellos x Lina in this chapter, so any monsters reading this should be warned. I might also want to mention this, this story takes place after Evolution-R. Not directly after, there is a little bit of time between then and now. You might be confused with __exactly_ how they got to this point. All be reveled soon.

_As for the info on Almost Lina, I very much doubt that I will be able to update it next Tuesday, mainly because the next chapter is being difficult and does not want to be rewritten. Sorry._

_I do not own Slayers. I gain no profit from this, and I have no money to give anyone who wants to sue me. Sorry to disappoint._

* * *

Xellos did not know what he was expecting from the forbidden town, but this was certainly not it.

He couldn't find anything strange in this town. Everything about it was absolutely normal. Not a single abnormality to be found.

Disappointment hung heavy on the trickster priest. He trudged along the cobblestone streets, looking for something, _anything_, that was out of the norm. But the only thing he found that he could classify under unusual was the number of people preaching how utter destruction would come if they didn't repent- but considering how Lina Inverse had just come into town, it wasn't really unexpected.

He finally stopped in front of a bubbling fountain, right at the center of the town's plaza. Due to a conflict of interests, he and Lina had split up after they had reached the town. He had wanted to look around, she had wanted to look for food. He was beginning to regret that decision; at least if she was with him if he were to be caught, he'd have his reason for being here. No use using the 'mission' excuse if his mission wasn't there.

He sighed. At least he had finally gotten control of his physical form. It would do no good to walk through town jumping at every shadow he saw. His astral body still shuddered whenever anyone got too close, but at very least no one could tell.

He sat down on the fountain's edge. He glanced around the plaza once more, as if something would happen to confirm his suspicion that this was no ordinary town, and that Lina and the lesser demon were wrong.

Nothing. His thoughts turned to how angry his mistress will be after he got back.

"This town…" He sighed, "…really wasn't worth dying for."

Xellos looked up at the sky above; eyes open the first time that day. Large, water laden clouds rolled along a pleasant blue sky. It was a peaceful sight, enough to put the monster at ease. He began to feel nostalgic, although he didn't know why. He was never one for cloud watching.

He almost didn't feel the familiar presence until it was practically on top of him. When he did, he jumped in surprise, but relaxed after he realized it was only Lina.

"Here."

Something was thrust under his face. He stared at it with closed eyes, before taking it from her. "You got me an ice cream?"

Lina gave him a knowing smile. "For your nerves, because heaven knows they're shot today." She took a seat next to him.

Xellos smiled back at her, before he noticed something. "Yours is bigger than mine," He complained. He was holding a two-scoop vanilla cone. She was holding a twenty-scoop everything-they-could-find bucket.

Her smile became a smirk. "If you wanted something different, you should have come with me." She dug into her ice cream. "Oh, by the way, you owe me a copper piece for that."

"Of course I do." He deadpanned.

They watched the townsfolk walking by for a while, eating their ice creams in silence. They were both almost done when she finally asked her question. "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

In response, he gave her one of his brightest smiles, and wagged a finger in front of his face. He didn't even have to say it for her to know what it meant.

"I should have known." She sighed. "It doesn't have to do with a danger to the world, does it?"

Xellos stuck the last of his ice cream in his mouth, savoring it. He shook his head no, and she let out a breath in relief.

"That's good." She put down her now empty bucket, and leaned as far back as she could without falling in. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "A danger to_ some _of the world?"

He was watching the clouds again. He answered truthfully, "Not that I know of."

"A danger to you?"

The priest looked back down at her face, and stared at her with closed eyes. "Miss Lina, you have some chocolate on your face." He told her, pointing.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?" She said, like she couldn't believe he was changing the topic like this.

Of course, Xellos decided it meant something else. "Yes, you do. Ri-i-ight… here." He said, right before he kissed her on the mouth.

The aroma of her shock overpowered everything else, including the ice cream that his physical body could still taste. He pulled away to find, much to his delight, that her entire face was a rosy red. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, before she finally found her shoes to be more interesting than him. He could not help but chuckle. This was the third kiss he had stolen from her, and she had never tried to punish him even once. He took that as a good sign.

It was strange, having her all to himself. No guardian to ask questions, no princess to interrupt, no chimera to scoff. Slowly, very slowly, she scooted closer to him. He sat there, still, as she finally leaned against him; her head on his side, and a blush on her cheeks. He smiled, and wrapped an arm around her, making her blush even darker. The emotions he felt for her, he knew, were irrational and dangerous, just like his curiosity for the town around him. But, he knew, it was too late to change it, change anything.

And they sat there, still, watching the townspeople walk by. The priest and the bandit killer.

The bandit killer and the priest.


	4. It will be done

_There are a number of reasons why this is so late, but I'm just going to summarize by saying that Zelas is a surprisingly difficult character to write for, and that I'm now a lvl 27 Death Student in Wizard101. Hurray for procrastination!_

_I'm actually pleased with how this chapter ended up, considering that the first 3 rough drafts all stank. Again- Zelas is an really, really hard character for me to write. I see it in my head, it's just getting her on paper... gah!_

_As for Almost Lina, I'm having difficulty with that one as well. This next chapter_ _was almost impossible for me to write the first time around, but now that I have to do it again... geh._

_I do not own Slayers. I gain no profit from this, and I have no money to give anyone who wants to sue me. Sorry to disappoint._

* * *

After the awakening of Taforashia, and the death of the Dark Lord's ghost, there was only one matter of business left to deal with. Xellos would have liked to leave it unsolved, but of course, his mistress had other plans.

"Lina Inverse is a threat." She paced the expanse of her throne room, in the way she often does when giving new orders. He was kneeling down before her, with his head bent, finally being fully healed after a long month. He was dreading what he was about to hear. "She may have been useful to us these last few years, but without Rezo around to make any more foolish mistakes, we have no more goals in common. The bandit killer can only become our enemy from here on out."

She stopped in front of him. "She trusts you, Xellos, even if she pretends she doesn't. It should be easy enough for you to dispose of her."

He lowered his head even more. "My Lady, if I may." He was taking a risk here, he knew. But, it was too late to change that. "It is true that she could pose a threat to us, but…" He took a deep breath, a human habit that did little to calm him down. He knew she could sense his emotions, "But imagine how useful she'd be if she were to join us."

"Join us?" There it was, the twitch in her astral body. Her voice was full of false amusement. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"It will be difficult." He admitted. An understatement, they both knew. "She values her humanity more than her life. But given enough time…" He hesitated, unsure of whether the sentence was a lie, before deciding it was not. "I know I can get her to take the pledge with me."

Her displeasure pierced him. "The pledge?" She repeated. "How ambitious. You're starting to sound like my late brother, Phibrizzo. You remember what happened to him, don't you?"

He had threatened Lina and her friends, she called on Her power, and the Hellmaster was no more. To him, it was both a memory and a warning. "Yes, I remember. But, I cannot end up like him. I have something he doesn't."

"Oh?" One of her eyebrows went up. "And what would that be?"

"It is like you said." He raised his head, to finally look her in the eye. "She trusts me. And as long as I have her trust, I highly doubt she'd ever try to kill me."

His mistress' eyes narrowed. She didn't answer for a moment, before she finally said, "It seems you've gotten too attached to your toy, Xellos."

He hesitated, knowing that what she said was true, before he bowed his head once again. "Perhaps I have." He said slowly. "But, I do not regret it. I've enjoyed my time with Miss Lina, and I would not change any of it."

"We'd be better off with her dead." She spat.

Her anger hit him in a tidal wave. The suddenness of it surprised him, and he wanted to run and hide from it, but he knew he couldn't. She was about to give the order, and he had to find a way to persuade her not to. "But Mistress, I-"

That's when he felt it. Past her anger was something he had thought she could never feel- fear. He gasped in surprise as revelation hit him.

His mistress was afraid of Lina Inverse.

It made sense, he supposed. Lina was only human, yet many of the feats she had done were above even what the Monsters could do. She had killed Hellmaster Phibrizzo. She had defeated Lord Ruby Eyes, twice if you count his ghost. She had even killed the Dark Lord Darkstar. Given those facts, it would only be natural to fear her.

But still, a Demon Lord was a Demon Lord, and was one who was never supposed to be afraid. To feel his mistresses' fear shocked him to the core.

Zellas' anger died down. Xellos recognized the tactic she had used; she had forced her rage out in order to hide the real reason she wanted Lina dead. It was a common trick among monsters, but only someone like her could pull it off so well. He almost hadn't noticed it- if he wasn't so familiar with her, he wouldn't have at all. But now there was no point in hiding her emotions, so she decided to wear her heart on her sleeve, so to speak.

Xellos' hopes sank. There was a very small chance that she would let him keep Lina alive. Not when she feared her. To a monster, anyone whom a Demon Lord feared was best off dead.

But the silence lengthened. Xellos realized with a start that she actually _was_ considering his idea. That surprised him just as much as sensing her fear did. Finally, with a sigh, she answered him.

"Fine. Have it your way."

Xellos' metaphorical heart leapt. He somehow managed to keep himself from blurting out the 'really?' that was on the tip of his tongue, instead opting for "Thank you, Mistress."

"Just remember, she's your responsibility, Xellos." She told him, as if Lina was a dog that had to be taken care of. "We don't want her to cause any unnecessary troubles. Whether she chooses to join us or not, I want her taken care of quickly. In fact, put her above all else."

He could feel her fear again, and it unsettled him. Her fear was undoubtedly the reason she gave him the order. After all, it wasn't like her to leave large loopholes for him to exploit.

But let him exploit she did. Under normal circumstances, he would have never gone through this trouble to persuade his mistress. A month ago, he wouldn't have cared whether or not Lina Inverse was killed. But a lot had changed within the last month, ever since the death of the Dark Lord's Ghost. Now, he was charged with either convincing her to join the monster race, or to kill her.

And he didn't realize it at the time, but two days later, he'd get his chance. A golden opportunity.

"Of course, Mistress." He bowed his head once again. "It will be done."

* * *

_EDIT 2 minutes after the posting of the chapter: Oh geez, forgot I was doing this._

_I'm putting up a poll on my profile concerning my Slayers stories and which one's I should focus on. I thrive on creative input from my readers, so please help me out!_


	5. How ironic, that

_Some of you might be wondering 'Where did this chapter come from? Wasn't the Golden Opportunity one here before?' Yes, yes it was- unfortulatly, though, I realized that I had accidentaly written out an important part. So, here it is, the missing number... 5? 6? I don't know..._

_Golden Opportunity is now chapter 6, this one chapter 5. Sorry for the confusion._

_I do not own Slayers. I gain no profit from this, and I have no money to give anyone who wants to sue me. Sorry to disappoint._

* * *

Xellos was unnaturally talented at protecting things.

His secrets, mostly, but other things as well. He could easily care for any object that was important to the monster race, and he was often assigned to. Most other monsters were limited to just 'manipulate' and 'destroy', making him and his talent extraordinary. His ability to protect was the main reason he had been assigned to Lina's group in the first place.

But even he couldn't protect them completely, not when facing the ghost of Shabranigdo. It was obvious that the last two attacks he suffered severely damaged him- he was little more than a head, after all- but he doubted even they could tell just how close he was to death.

He spent the last of his energy teleporting the stuffed prince. After that was a struggle. Never before in his life did he have to fight so hard to continue living. He didn't give up, though. A monster's life is the most important thing to it, and only one thing could ever make it want to give it up.

One thing he was soon faced with. Right as he thought he was winning his struggle, Lina cast the Giga Slave.

He could feel it, Her power. The Golden Lord of Nightmares; the very same being that could destroy the world in an instant. He knew from the last time the Giga Slave was attempted that She Herself was there.

And all that power was being controlled by a mere human. Lina Inverse.

This wasn't the first time she had tried the spell, and it wasn't the first time he had seen it, either. He had watched her try it against Phibrizzo, but she had lost control then. Xellos had known that she had used it successfully before, but knowing and seeing were two different things.

He couldn't remember ever seeing anything so beautiful.

It was what he kind sought after. What they had tried to gain for millennia, what Phibrizzo had died trying to create. Destruction, brought by the Golden Lord; to return everything to the sea of chaos, from where the monster race was born. The Giga Slave was L-Sama's way of entering their world, but it was also a gateway back to Her home.

It called to him, even as it consumed the Dark Lord's Ghost. Shabranigdo screamed as it pulled him in, but there was a part of the priest that felt _envious_. It was almost enough to get him to teleport into it, if common sense hadn't intervened.

_Go in there and you're dead._

That thought was all that stopped him.

After that, everything changed. Instead of teleporting to report to his masters as soon as his mission was done like he usually did, he lingered, watching the group of Slayers from the astral side. Particularly Lina. Xellos had always respected her strength, but never before was he in awe of it. She had managed to control the Giga Slave, a feat which seemed impossible even though he knew she could.

In the weeks that followed, he noticed other things had changed, in both him and her. He started to feel… _things_, emotions that he had never experienced before, towards her. Her emotions' taste changed; no longer did he delight in her pain, or her sadness. They'd turned sour. And there was a difference in her magic- there were now golden flakes in her aura. It was as if the Golden Lord had left a permanent mark on her.

He had brought these changes up with his superiors (leaving out the changes in himself, of course), but they had denied it, saying it was all in his head. Maybe it was.

But it was funny. It had taken a Giga Slave for him to realize it, but the most important thing to a monster was it's life, yet their deepest desire would cause the end of them.

How ironic, that.


	6. His golden opportunity had arrived

**_Important notice for new chapter 6:_**_As it turns out, it's this one now. It seems that I accidentaly wrote out an important part that was supposed to come before this one. The new chapter, _How ironic, that_, is the new chapter 5. I'm sorry for the confusion._

_I won't lie, this chapter's short. And my gosh, it got even shorter an FFN. Wow._

_Apparantly, there aren't very many XellosxLina fans around nowadays. Apparantly I can't spell apparantly right either. Hmm..._

_Well, I like the shipping, even if you don't. So there! ...I don't know what I'm trying to prove here, I really don't._

_I do not own Slayers. I gain no profit from this, and I have no money to give anyone who wants to sue me. Sorry to disappoint._

* * *

It was during the rebuilding of Taforashia that Sylphiel finally confessed her feelings.

"Are you sure you'll be okay traveling by yourself?" Gourry asked. Even though he was no longer her protector, he could not stop worrying about her. "It's dangerous out there."

"You think I don't know that?" Lina responded. She was currently packing her things, readying to leave. "I don't like to stay in one place too long. Helping Pokota rebuild is nice, but quite frankly, I'm getting bored."

"Yeah, but going by yourself?" Gourry asked again. "Can't you just come with me and Sylphiel?"

"And become a third wheel? Forget it. I like being a main character." The joke went over his head, but she smiled anyways. "I'll be okay. I traveled by myself before I met you, remember?"

"You did?" He asked, earning himself a disappointed stare.

"Of course I did, Jellyfish brains. You think I just appeared in the middle of the woods surrounded by bandits?" He just gave her a confused look, and she knew she lost him. She sighed.

"Look, I'll be okay." She gave him a convincing smile, "I know how to take care of myself. Sylphiel needs your protection more than I do."

There was a minute of uncertainty, before he finally nodded. "Alright, I guess." And then he hugged her, much to her surprise. "Just be careful, okay?"

Her face turned bright red. "Hey, now. You're engaged, remember!" He let go of her, but her face didn't go back to normal until many minutes later.

The news of Sylphiel and Gourry's wedding received different responses from the Slayers. Zelgaddis had left a few weeks prior to the announcement, but once a messanger bird got to him, he just stared blankly at the paper before shrugging it off. Pokota hadn't had much time to get to know Sylphiel, but he smiled and congratulated them, genuinely happy for the couple. It took Amelia a bit to accept it. She still thought that Gourry was meant to be with Lina, but before the princess could blurt out what she thought in their presence, Lina glared at her and she caught herself.

As for Lina herself, she put on a brave face in front of her friends. She congratulated the two, and wished them the best of luck.

But the truth was, her heart was breaking.

She had loved him. She couldn't bring herself to admit it to him, but she had loved him. She had thought he had loved her too, and couldn't help but share Amelia's opinion. But, he was happy with Sylphiel, and she couldn't stay angry at the priestess for ending up with him. Sylphiel was just too nice to stay angry at, and killing bandits was a much better way to vent frustration. But genocide couldn't help a broken heart, so she bottled up her emotions, and left before her friends would see what was wrong.

But there was one who did know, watching her from the astral side.

His golden opportunity had arrived.


End file.
